To mark National Inclusion Week, John Lyon’s Charity has launched Game Changer, a new report calling for urgent action to improve access to after-school, weekend and holiday opportunities for young people with SEND.
The Game Changer report highlights a significant shortage of accessible and inclusive opportunities after school, at weekends and during the school holidays, leaving many young people with SEND excluded from the social and developmental activities their peers can access year-round.
The report, produced by John Lyon’s Charity, comes just a week after most children returned to school following the summer break. While many families will have spent the holidays attending clubs, recreational activities and play settings, families of children with SEND will have had significantly fewer options, and in some cases none at all.
87% of families said there were not enough suitable opportunities available, while fewer than 15% said their children regularly attended a local youth group or sports club. Most concerningly, nearly half of these children (46%) were not accessing any activities outside school at all, showing that, for many families, the issue is not choosing between activities but finding any suitable opportunity in the first place.
One parent said: “He can’t move around by himself. When he’s in a busy space with very active children, he can be knocked over or hit by accident. He still needs chances to take part, but not somewhere that puts him at risk.”
Another parent said: “My child needs one-to-one support and groups I have approached either don’t have the experience or staff numbers to be able to do this. The one local place that can, (an after school and holiday club provider) has a long waiting list. My child has been on their list for 2 years and they cannot offer him a space for a holiday club yet.”
The findings also show that many voluntary sector organisations want to be more inclusive but lack the capacity, confidence, specialist expertise or resources to do so effectively. Some 91% of voluntary sector youth organisations said staffing and resources were a barrier to delivering inclusive and accessible work, while 69% said they could not deliver this work without sustainable funding in place. As a result, many organisations are reactive, responding to needs once identified, rather than proactively operating as inclusive settings from the outset.
Alongside the report, the Charity has launched the Game Changer: Call to Action, highlighting practical guidance and simple adaptations that youth clubs, sports clubs and after-school providers can begin implementing immediately. Rather than expecting every organisation to immediately deliver fully inclusive provision, the recommendations offer realistic, achievable first steps that can improve accessibility now, while supporting organisations to build their capacity over time through partnerships, training and lived experience.
Dr. Lynne Guyton, CEO of John Lyon’s Charity, said: “Every child deserves the opportunity to play, make friends, build confidence and belong in their community. Our research shows that too many young people with special educational needs and disabilities are still missing out – not because organisations don’t care, but because they lack the resources, confidence or specialist support to be fully inclusive. The Game Changer report is about helping organisations take practical steps towards greater inclusion, so that every young person has the opportunity to participate.“
Leading by example, the Call to Action also cements the Charity’s own commitments to greater inclusion including investment in training and peer learning prospects, funding towards new opportunities for children and young people who are currently least well served, and a commitment to review its own grant giving to ensure existing grant programmes support inclusion.
John Lyon’s Charity is calling on organisations across the youth sector to work together to ensure that all young people, regardless of ability or additional need can access enriching activities after school, at weekends and during the holidays.
The Game Changer report and Game Changer: Call to Action are available to download here.
For more information about John Lyon’s Charity, visit www.jlc.london.